Thousands of police manned barricades around Christian churches in Egypt's second largest city Saturday, a day after Muslim rioters attacked churches and shops, leaving four people dead in the country's worst religious violence in five years.

First came the fish bumper stickers, imported from the United States and pasted on cars by members of Egypt's Coptic minority as a symbol of their Christianity. Before long, some Muslims responded with their own bumper stickers: fish-hungry sharks

According to Christine Tadros from the U.S. Copts Association: "Muslims who convert to Christianity face persecution on a variety of fronts, leading many to lead secret lives and try to find new identities. Some go into hiding and some try to leave the country or go into a different part of the country and change their names. If they?re caught they face torture and abuse"

Egyptian Christian was pulled off a flight this afternoon in Cairo and is being held by Egyptian secret police. His wife is a former Muslim who converted to Christianity, is also being sought by police.

Coptic Bishop Wissa of Baliana Diocese, articulated the dismay of many in the Christian community :"If those accused are really innocent, where are the real killers? The 21 Christians who were so brutally murdered in January 2000 did not kill themselves"

Leaders of Christian sects in Egypt as well as leading Coptic political activists welcomed Archimandrite Attallah Hanna's call on Palestinian and Arab Christians to join hands in carrying out martyr operations against the Israeli occupation forces.

Atallah Hanna who is from Rama Village in Israel, was until recently spokesman for the Orthodox Church in Jerusalem